Professional Organizer Career Guide | What It Is Really Like to Be an Organizer and Removal Expert

Transcription

(Music)

Mary Ellen Lundy: I went to my husband and I'm like, "Babe, I think I can do this and charge people money." He goes, "You're gonna charge people money and take stuff out of their house?" I go, "Yeah."

Dan: Today on Time We Discuss, I wanna welcome Mary Ellen Lundy, and it's time we discuss what it's like working as an organizer and removal expert. Mary Ellen, thank you for joining me today.

Mary Ellen: Hi Dan, thank you so much for having me.

Dan: Absolutely, it's more like tonight, but you would never know by looking at the background.

Mary Ellen: Depending what time of day you watch and listen. That's so true.

Dan: So let's talk about your business. You are an organizer, a removal expert, what is that?

Mary Ellen: It is anything I want it to be Dan since I made this business and created it out of nothing. I now have a small team of women that are employees of mine. We go into homes and businesses within 30 minutes of my town, Stoughton, Massachusetts, outside of Boston, and we help homes and businesses reclaim their rooms intended purpose by removing all of those items, Dan, hundreds, sometimes thousands of items that are no longer wanted or needed in their space at their home or business and recycle them directly to people in the hyper-local community. So your unwanted items at your home are now going to foster programs. They're going to group homes, shelters, 4-H programs, raffle baskets for things in the community, you name it, and we pretty much share with them. It's crazy, crazy awesome.

Dan: That is really, really cool, especially in this day and age where people are so quick to upgrade to the next gadget or something like that and invariably there's e-waste everywhere. You know, people, we're very consumable, consumable, we're very, our society is based on consumables. So it's really good to hear that you're taking this and you're kind of giving it back and giving it a second life kind of.

Mary Ellen: Thank you. Yes, we're really working on creating the story of those discarded items, continuing that story so it doesn't end up in a landfill, right Dan? Cause that's so easy to do, if I don't want this, throw it out, right? We look for new homes and really are super creative with where and how we share to from musical instruments that are in the back of your closet. They're now being played by children in a music department. Sometimes they're easy recycles like that and other times they're a little more creative and inventive but we're always finding new homes for things to continue to rewrite the story of those objects and that just cuts in with everyone and there's so many positives and benefits to that to you feel good, right? Cause now it's out of your house, but now it's in my van, right? And in my 1400 square foot house, so then it was finding creative ways, right? But it's all about helping people help other people. So those blankets in the back of your closet, Dan, cause I know they're there, stuffed in that linen closet, right? So we pull all of those out and those go directly to people on the streets of Boston, right? And people in shelters directly helping people. So we really help people help other people. It's awesome.

Dan: I love that. And for the record, our blankets are in a basket next to our sofa. We have about a half a dozen to 10 blankets right there.

Mary Ellen: Wow, oh, in a basket. Okay, mine are in a hamper covered and then they're just stuffed in there. They're just stuffed. They're not folded. There's no fancy folds. I have way too many people in this house and way too many children. So it's just, it's stuffed in a basket, but that's nice to know. I love that.

Dan: So let's talk about organizing. Why organizing? Why did you create this business? How did you get started? What hurdles did you have to go through? I wanna hear all of this.

Mary Ellen: Yeah, it's so funny. Cause I know in your podcast, you focus on education a lot, right? Of where and how you got there. My story is ridiculous. It never, 20 years ago, this was never what I was supposed to be doing. My mom's almost 85, Dan, she lives downstairs. She's still disgusted that I am not fully using my Master's degree in education. Okay, that's a whole other therapy session right there, Dan. I have a degree in education. I never really took school seriously in high school. I was busy being popular and having fun and doing what I need to do. And the same for the beginning of college. And then the next thing I know, Dan, I found education and I took things seriously. And getting anything less than an A was simply unacceptable. And that just continued when I went to grad school and paid for grad school. When I know how much money each class costs. And when I went for my master's in education, I was serious and I found something that I loved to do. But luckily a lot of those skills that I learned and used in the classroom teaching special education are those same skills that I teach now to people, right? And plus I've raised three children. I was a stay at home mom and I've always worked in babysat and daycares and that. So I know children's items and have taught. So all of that, who knows if I would have found what I'm doing today regardless, but it happened so organically, Dan. I never asked for it. I was in a small mom's group with people in my town in Stoughton. And it was someone posted like, I need help with Tupperware. So I just opened my cabinets, took a little picture and said, oh, this is what I do. And they were like, that looks so good. And I'm like, what, me? That looks okay. This is the little cabinet I have. So I use these risers, these dividers. And then it started going to a larger forum, Dan, to all the moms in Stoughton with like 2000 people saying like someone's like, is there such a thing as an organizer that would come and clean my basement and organize it? And everyone recommended me and I was like, okay. And I started doing a little and I went to my husband and I'm like, babe, I think I can do this and charge people money. He goes, you're going to charge people money and take stuff out of their house. I go, yeah, yeah, that's what I'm going to do. Yes. And started small and then built there. And somehow now I speak at conferences and do podcasts and speaking engagements for women's groups and recently spoke at a high school to children in DECA. And one of the things, Dan, that I talked to them about was how I sort of got here, right? This process and how I never thought that I would be here. But at the core of everything, Dan, whether I was teaching and working directly with students and their parents or what I'm doing right now, working with clients, it's still my personality. I didn't know, Dan, that I could turn my personality into a business, right? And that's really what I've done. And it's amazing and it's awesome. And it has afforded me to still be at the forefront with my three children. The oldest is about to be 16. And my youngest is 12 and I have always been there for them, taking them to doctor's appointments and being at school when needed. And then I've worked in between that, Dan. And that's always been at the forefront. And I feel so, everyone says they're blessed, but I really feel blessed and honored to be able to do that, still be there for them. And then not gonna lie, Dan, I love that my daughter sees me run a business and kind of work when I want to work, if you will. That's pretty awesome.

Dan: I absolutely love that. And kind of similar to, and I spoke to someone else about, I don't remember who it was, it was over a year ago. I was saying, starting this podcast and YouTube channel was that same idea where it's like showing my kids like what it takes to do something like this. Yeah, you have your overnight successes, but if you're trying to build something, it takes a lot of work and that's awesome that your daughter and your other kids have an opportunity to see that.

Mary Ellen: Yes, yeah, it's very exciting, thank you.

Dan: Talk to me about those items that are difficult to get rid of. Because invariably my wife and I, we try to be very good about how we donate things, but invariably you have that one thing where it's like, I can't get rid of it. What are some of those things? How do you get rid of them?

Mary Ellen: There is. So maybe the answer, Dan, is not getting rid of them, right? Maybe the answer is finding a creative and useful repurpose for them. You know, we have a few rules. I wish I came up with this. It might've been Josh Becker or someone, but I wish this was mine. But if you don't live there, neither does your stuff, right? So Uncle John's furniture cannot live in your house. So let's find another way to honor Uncle John or Uncle Kevin, right? And reuse their items in a different way. So sometimes, Dan, that's donating maybe to a sober living house, you know, something like that, or find something that was special about that uncle or grandfather, right? But I was just telling someone this the other day. I actually had my entire wedding dress cut up. So there's nothing left of my wedding dress, but it made part of my daughter's first communion gown. It made a tie for my sons, and it made two christening gowns, you know, for a boy and for a girl, right? So it's a creative repurpose. So sentimental items are very challenging for people to get rid of, and that's really, Dan, when I would refocus with you and your wife about why you called us in the first place, right? And maybe that was to make a room for your mother-in-law to stay at. So that old keyboard that you have, or the headphones that you no longer use, or a backup pair, you know, those could be shared, right? So we, again, we always look for creative purposes and repurposes, really.

Dan: I absolutely love that too. That's amazing. The wedding dress, the christening outfits, the tie. That is really, really cool.

Mary Ellen: It's really, it's so cool, and the pictures just melt my heart, you know, when you see that. Because again, I mean, I have a lot of self-esteem and confidence, but I know in my heart, Dan, my daughter is never going to want to wear my wedding dress that I actually trashed, you know? But I still prayed to preserve it, and I knew no one was gonna wear it, right? And who has room, Dan, for a ginormous box somewhere? You know, again, I told you I live in 1,400 square feet with five people. There is no room for that, Dan. So, you know, that also, it's a nice reminder as well, Dan, that that is all just stuff, right? All of that is extraneous stuff. None of us, no matter how rich we are, how loved we are, none of us can take those things with us, right? So that's why really the eco portion of an Eco-Organized Approach is so important because it's rehoming those items and it takes the guilt away from you, Dan.

Dan: Yeah, I know exactly what you're saying. And I have a very similar mindset to the idea of, you know, it's all stuff, you know? And I like that, you know? When we all move on to the next place, you know, we can't take anything with us. It all gets left behind. Exactly, exactly. And even too, where that could be a problem for your children or whoever then gets to inherit all of that stuff. Yes. So let's talk about that. Let's talk about, so you talked about organizing for friends. You talked about organizing, I don't know if it's a basement or garage and it grew from there. What other, I'm gonna call them opportunities. What are other opportunities ... you have when people are downsizing? You have when people are maybe moving into an assisted living, when people, what other opportunities are out there for someone that wants to start a business like this?

Mary Ellen: Ooh, great question. There is technically a national organization for like productivity and organizers. With that being said, Dan, I've never been one to really follow the rules. I've kind of always wanted to do what, I don't wanna be told what to do. I mean, maybe that's partially why I'm my own boss, but again, there are certifications even in moving, Dan, and things like that. But with that being said, Dan, no one in almost a decade has asked me if I have any certifications. I've had, I think two people ask me if I have, it's now called workers comp. So I've had two people out of, I don't know, maybe 200, 300 clients ask me if I have workers comp. But other than that, you would need to be a sympathetic soul, right? And be patient, show patience and kindness. But other than that, I don't think you need any special certifications or anything like that to start this, which a lot of at an Eco-Organized Approach, we help a lot of widows, young widows, right? Single moms now and things like that, this would be perfect for someone like that. And I have primarily focused the business around mother's hours. I have some clients that are up super early, so I am there at 7 a.m. We do a four hour minimum here, and I've stayed five, six, seven, eight hours sometimes. 11 hours was my max at one job. But everyone is different. And so for some of those people, Dan and the assisted living community, those are usually my later friends at 10 or 11 because they need more time to get ready. But again, with a little bit of a lack schedule with those mother's hours, we're able to accommodate those individuals as well.

Dan: Okay, all right, cool. So let's talk about the business side of things. You talked about, and specifically your education. So you talked about you have a master's degree in education, I believe, right?

Mary Ellen: Yes, sir, yes.

Dan: Okay, so let's talk about the business side. Whenever I speak with someone and they didn't have any formal training in business, I'd like to get an idea of what that person did to bridge those knowledge gaps. So how did you go about building your business knowledge to make your business a success?

Mary Ellen: Yes, it's so crazy because especially in this life, Dan, with YouTube and Pinterest and social media, everyone is always comparing themselves of what success looks like. And I have just, I don't know any other way, Dan, but I have always been authentically myself in this business. Again, I can cuss, but that is tailed and curtailed to a minimum as well while we're working with clients. I know you said you checked out the website. It's fun, it's a little quirky, but it's professional. And I think that's kind of who I am. But even with that website, Dan, that took me like five years to ascertain because it wasn't in the budget, it wasn't in my scope. I was very happy doing this job, this job. And then what would happen, Dan, this is really how it grew, is I would do a job for you, you would love it, and then you would tell two neighbors, and then they would call, they would call me. I wasn't even gonna go on social media, Dan, because I was thinking, I don't need this, right? Of course I do need this. But I watched what other people did, Dan, and built slowly. I thought, oh, wow, that's cool, that's really professional, right? I remember my sister is almost 10 years older than I am. And I remember she bought her first house in North Carolina, and they had two lawn chairs in their living room, Dan. And I thought, okay, you need some furniture in here, okay? Let's get some end tables, let's get some lights. Do you know what, Dan? They really enjoyed that house and relished in the fact that they owned a home. I didn't understand that. So I've often thought about that, Dan, in conjunction with this business of that, I have tried to enjoy the ride as it takes me, right? And as I build and grow, right, and now I just told you at three employees, that's like a little bit higher up on the notch, you know? And I've worked really hard to enjoy, to enjoy that living room, if you will, without a room full of furniture, right? Because it will be furnished, and she always said that. You know, Mary Ellen, don't worry, this room is gonna be furnished. But I'm like, it needs to be furnished now. But it didn't, Dan, it did not need to be furnished, it needed to be enjoyed, right? And so I work hard on that in my business, but I've really, I've just watched what other people have done. And again, because I have high self-esteem, I thought, oh, I'd be really good at that. I could speak at a women's conference. I had never done it before, but I thought I could do that. Same thing, I could do a podcast, I can talk. I can be a guest, sure.

Dan: So talk to me about professional speaking, because I did have a professional speaker on the show last year, I think it was, and we talked about how someone can actually get into being a professional speaker. So talk to me about that. How did you break into that? What was that like?

Mary Ellen: Again, so funny, you know, one day someone was just like, you would be so awesome, you should speak to my realty team. And I'm like, I should? They were like, yes. Okay, okay, I'm gonna do this. So I never started that, did you hear that started? I didn't say started. Do you like that Boston? I worked really, really hard on that diction for you, Dan. I worked really hard. Aha, you know, like that, see, I'm really trying. See, no bad language, appropriate outside Boston language, everything. But I've worked really hard to again, enjoy that ride while it's coming and build up slowly. You know?

Dan: It's funny, you're talking about Boston. I don't even know where we picked it up, but my wife and I got in this fun habit of we'll say stuff like, I'm gonna go downstairs. (Laughing) We don't know how, at least I don't remember how it started, but we do this all the time. And there was this one day, I was actually at my day job and I was in my team meeting and I was talking to my team and one of those slipped out. And I just, I paused for a moment, partially horrified and embarrassed, but also like very entertained. Talk to me about your competition out there. What's it like? Is this a big growing field? Is it still like very niche? What is it like?

Mary Ellen: It is insane. I would say what I specifically do is more niche in the eco-recycling aspect, which is we specifically get hired a lot, Dan, just for that and our environmental impact. But I would say maybe saturated with other organizers as well, who don't charge what I charge, some lower, some higher. But again, no one else is me. And the clients who hire me and get the employees know why we charge what we charge. Because there's literally no one else like this because we are those removal people, but we are those support people. We hold hands with clients. We have cried with clients. We have found wedding albums to husbands that have passed and the wife did not remember ever making a wedding album, you know, things like that. And we have been literally along for the ride. And it's really, it's been a beautiful journey. And again, I really, I feel lucky to be able to do what I do aside from the fact that I created it, that I get to live this life. And, you know, I know you always talk about what the average day is like. And I thought, oh my gosh, is that man gonna ask me this question? Cause I just, there's something different every day. I mean, I could be talking to a real estate photographer and, you know, working on brochures to that too. I don't know, like three months ago, I applied for a hundred thousand dollar grant for, you know, women. I mean, it just, I never know what I'm doing. And my husband just kind of laughs at me sometimes, you know, and I'm like, oh, I'm going to speak to a group of high school students or, oh, I have a speech in front of a hundred women tonight. I mean, it just, I never know what I'm gonna do. And as much as I like to be organized and regimented, this is also a really fun aspect. And I just, I'm here for it, Dan. I'm here for it.

Dan: That is lovely. That is amazing. All that stuff, all good stuff. Mary Ellen, one of the things I'd like to ask people is, I like to identify barriers. And the earlier someone can identify a barrier to a particular career, the sooner they can determine whether that career is still for them or not. So that being said, I want you to look at what you do and try to think about, you know, one thing that is critical to your job. And if someone does not like this, then this is not for them. Ooh,

Mary Ellen: I mean, physicality wise is the first thing that sort of pops into my head. And it's also the reason partially why, you know, we do charge what we charge. It sounds, in theory, it sounds easy, right? I'm gonna go in, I'm gonna take stuff that people don't want, but there's sentiment behind those items, right? And things that aren't seen, Dan. There's three flights of stairs at someone's apartment that does not have an elevator. You know, it is winter in New England with, I don't know, two and a half, three feet of snow outside. So there is ice, right? So we are doing, especially for our 55 plus community, Dan, we are doing the bending, we are doing the lifting, we are doing the carrying, you know? Some of those longer jobs, I come out, Dan, and my back is toast. Or I have to tell the client, listen, I'm not popping pills. That was just an ibuprofen, thank you so much, you know? I'm preparing for the inevitable. There is, you know, there is, I'm trying to say this in like a nice, respectful manner, considering my job, but, you know, we often find things that we're not supposed to find or see, you know, things that might be dirty or of a certain nature for two people to, you know, do together. And so there's a lot of those things that, you know, maybe specifically type A people, you know, wouldn't do well with.

Dan: Mary Ellen, this is all really, really good information. This has been such a delightful conversation. Unfortunately, I am running out of time. One thing I'd like to do before I hand the floor over to you, I wanna take a second and thank Liz Theresa for introducing us. Liz was in episode 156 as a webpage designer, so everyone, please go check out that video. The link is in the description. I'll put a little card up top as well. Mary Ellen, this is the part of the show where I'd like to offer my guests the opportunity to talk about a project they're working on, a cause they believe in, more about their business. So if there's something specific you'd like to discuss, the floor is yours.

Mary Ellen: An Eco-Organized Approach is about to offer a one hour and 15 minute session called Time to Tackle. And you get to join us virtually and have access to a professional organizer and removal expert. And you get to tackle some of those projects around your house that you have been putting off. We will supply a list of some items that are able to be done within 10 to 15 minutes, or you can fold laundry, you can work in the kitchen. And if you have any questions, you can pop on and ask a professional organizer what to do with specific items.

Dan: Mary Ellen, I'll make sure I get links to everything. I'll put that on the website. They'll be in the description. It'll be all over the place. And when people are trying to find you, they can easily find you.

Mary Ellen: Awesome, Dan. Thank you so much. That went by so fast.

Dan: Mary Ellen, it's been absolutely awesome having you on Time to Discuss and we learned what it's like being a professional organizer and removal expert.

Mary Ellen: Thank you, Dan. It was so much fun. Thank you for having me. And thank you again to Liz Theresa for the recommendation.